Top 8 Inbound Marketing Reads for 2017 (Staff Picks)

As a business owner or marketing/sales professional, it’s important to get your hands on the best marketing content to stay on top of trends.

But as a conscientious owner or entrepreneur, books should also be your one of your go-to resources for generating ideas for getting more leads, closing more deals and more!

As the CEO of Flight Media, I made a goal for myself to read 30 books in 2016.

I have to confess, I didn’t meet my goal… But I did read 25 books. And I’m proud of what I did accomplish, because it gave me a ton of ideas for making Flight Media a better business.

Like how to deliver stellar service, how to improve our processes, how to better lead people, and a ton more.

So, why not make it a goal of yours to read this year?

No matter what time of year it is, whether it’s the beginning of the year or the summertime, investing in yourself and your business will pay off.

Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet, once stated, “the biggest investment you can make is in yourself” at the annual Berkshire Hathaway company meeting.

Buffet made his billions through investing in the stock market, and yet he attributes his greatest investment to what he filled his mind with — books, tapes, seminars, etc.

Here’s what I recommend you add to your own library.

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, by Seth Godin

A thought leader across industries, Godin has remarkable ideas.

And he’ll get you thinking creatively about how to inspire yourself and your teams to come up with remarkable products or services that will astound customers – and get them to do all the talking about your brand.

Always wondered if inbound marketing could be THE ticket that turns your business around and helps it surpass your goals?

This must-read will help you see how the whole shebang works: from attracting leads to pushing leads through the sales funnel to making the purchase.

It’s worth investigating, as this book clearly outlines how the technology backs the strategy to drive tons of conversions and sales.

Unmarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging, by Scott Stratten

This book will take you on an interesting journey of discovering what you’ve been doing wrong with marketing and what you should be doing to “engage” customers.

If you’re tired of trying the same old strategies with the same old results, Stratten will show you how to market through relationships, a tactic that will take your business soaring.

A Closing Culture, by Josh Harcus

Written by a good friend and the owner of Huify, an inbound marketing company, Josh Harcus outlines not only incredible sales strategies that can be put to use from day 1, but provides an A to Z guide on integrating your sales & marketing team.

But it’s not so easy to know HOW to build that website. What components do you need? What works? Who should build it? This tell-all book covers the topic in depth and will guide you the right direction.

As with anything you do, it always comes down to: How does this affect my bottom line?

Ben Hunt will answer that on the design side!

Everybody Writes, by Ann Handley

There’s no one better to learn about writing from than Ann Handley.

Handley delivers actionable advice and tips for creating quality content. And let’s face it: Nowadays, no business is exempt from having to generate content.

This guide will show you how to create that content that targets your audience so you can increase conversions – the ultimate goal of creating content!

The Sales Acceleration Formula, by Mark Roberge

This book blew my mind.

It will truly show you how to scale your business with inbound marketing and sales as the foundation. All the struggles your business experiences on the sales side after you generate the lead is covered in this book.

It’ll help you get a good grip on when leads should be forwarded to sales people, how to create your buyer’s lifecycle, what a qualified lead looks like, and much more.

I marked this book up like crazy with a pen & ideas.

The Marketing Agency Blueprint, by Paul Roetzer

Whether you’re a marketing agency or not, this book is worth 10,000x the price.

Paul Roetzer is a marketing genius. He will take you from zero to one hundred miles per hour in your marketing department. From the initial stage of establishing your buyer persona to how to generate leads and manage campaigns.

I actually watched Paul speak in 2015 and I sat, eyes glued and fingers typing away.

The book has been a vital organ to Flight Media and it’s among my most-recommended books for anyone looking to run a successful marketing agency or department.

Final Thoughts

Include these great reads on your list of marketing and business books to read in the coming months. I promise you, you’ll get inspired to do even greater things!

Share one book or article that has transformed your business or given you a great idea.